Evolutionary Paleobiology MCQs January 8, 2026March 27, 2024 by u930973931_answers 20 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/20 Subscribe 1. What is the primary focus of evolutionary paleobiology? (A) Investigating the evolutionary history of life forms (B) Examining the behavior of ancient animals (C) Studying the genetics of living organisms (D) Analyzing the ecology of modern ecosystems 2. Which geological period marks the beginning of the Paleozoic Era? (A) Cambrian (B) Cretaceous (C) Jurassic (D) Devonian 3. What is the study of ancient organisms preserved in rocks called? (A) Anthropology (B) Archaeology (C) Geology (D) Paleontology 4. Which scientist proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection? (A) Gregor Mendel (B) Charles Darwin (C) Alfred Russel Wallace (D) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 5. What is the term for the study of the distribution of ancient organisms in space and time? (A) Taxonomy (B) Stratigraphy (C) Chronobiology (D) Biogeography 6. Which type of fossil preservation involves the actual remains of an organism being replaced by minerals? (A) Petrification (B) Mold fossilization (C) Cast fossilization (D) Permineralization 7. Which of the following is NOT a method for dating fossils? (A) Radiocarbon dating (B) Potassium-argon dating (C) Stratigraphy (D) Electron microscopy 8. What is the term for the process by which new species evolve from existing species over time? (A) Migration (B) Extinction (C) Speciation (D) Hybridization 9. Which of the following is NOT a type of evidence used to support the theory of evolution? (A) Fossil record (B) Astrology (C) Molecular biology (D) Comparative anatomy 10. What is the name of the supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic Era? (A) Rodinia (B) Pangaea (C) Laurasia (D) Gondwana 11. Which era is known as the “Age of Dinosaurs”? (A) Mesozoic Era (B) Paleozoic Era (C) Cenozoic Era (D) Neoproterozoic Era 12. What is the term for the study of the development of ancient organisms over time? (A) Ontogeny (B) Phylogeny (C) Paleobiogeography (D) Paleoecology 13. Which of the following is NOT a major extinction event in Earth’s history? (A) Permian-Triassic extinction (B) Cambrian explosion (C) Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction (D) Ordovician-Silurian extinction 14. What is the term for the process by which species adapt to their environment over time? (A) Natural selection (B) Artificial selection (C) Genetic drift (D) Gene flow 15. Which type of fossil represents evidence of an organism’s activity rather than its actual remains? (A) Cast fossil (B) Body fossil (C) Mold fossil (D) Trace fossil 16. What is the term for the study of ancient climates and environments? (A) Paleoclimatology (B) Paleoecology (C) Paleogeography (D) Paleohydrology 17. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of index fossils? (A) Wide geographic distribution (B) Short stratigraphic range (C) Abundance in the fossil record (D) Restricted to a specific environment 18. Which of the following geological periods is part of the Mesozoic Era? (A) Devonian (B) Silurian (C) Ordovician (D) Triassic 19. Which scientist is known for proposing the concept of punctuated equilibrium in evolutionary theory? (A) Charles Darwin (B) Richard Dawkins (C) Stephen Jay Gould (D) Ernst Haeckel 20. What is the term for the study of the distribution of ancient landmasses and their geological features? (A) Paleohydrology (B) Paleobiology (C) Paleontology (D) Paleogeography